Discuss What, If Any, Restrictions There Should Be

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Discuss what, if any, restrictions there should be on how a convicted criminal sentenced to death should be treated before, during and after execution Currently convicted criminals have the threat of the death penalty in 58 countries worldwide, with only 23 carrying out executions in 20108. Since the start of its global campaign against the death penalty in 1977, Amnesty International has seen the rise from 16 countries abolishing capital punishment to a staggering 139 in law or in practice8. While countries that retain the death penalty argue it is not explicitly prohibited in international law a blind eye is turned to the aim of human rights law and United Nations human rights bodies who have been clear that abolition is the ultimate objective. The International Criminal Court charged with bringing to justice those accused of the worst crimes in the world, for example war crimes and crimes against humanity and genocide, is unable to impose the death penalty as a sentence. In the modern climate where human rights standards and views on the treatment of human beings around the world are evolving and developing, it is interesting to raise questions about the treatment of criminals sentenced to death. This treatment of death row inmates pre-execution is a very peculiar circumstance where ethical views and human rights laws can clash. Should a death row inmate be treated the same as a convicted criminal with a five or ten year prison sentence, or even life imprisonment? Is the punishment of death enough of a retributive outcome? Or should a death row inmate be exposed to tougher treatment during their wait to be executed? Regardless of personal opinion the Charter of Fundamental Rights of Prisoners has established the standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners12. Understanding the baseline for the treatment of prisoners is important to then be able to

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